President Delivers Commencement Address at Louisiana State
Remarks by the President at the Louisiana State University Commencement
Pete Maravich Assembly Center
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. Chancellor Emmert, and
President Jenkins, and Chairman Ogden, members of the Congress, members
of the faculty, trustees, families, distinguished guests, and members
of the class of 2004. (Applause.) I want to thank you for the warm
welcome. It's great to be in the -- on this wonderful campus. I'm
honored to be with you on graduation day, as all of you become proud
alumni of Louisiana State University. (Applause.)

As you graduate from LSU, your Chancellor is graduating to new
challenges, as well. We appreciate Chancellor Emmert for his fine,
steadfast leadership in making LSU one of America's flagship
universities. (Applause.) This day is a tribute, as well, to the
faculty of LSU, and we thank them for your skill and your dedication.

Some in this class are graduating with honors, and I congratulate
all of you on an achievement that took a lot of discipline. Others may
have spent a little less time in the library -- (laughter) -- a little
more time keeping the stools warm down at The Chimes. (Laughter and
applause.) But you earned your degree, and you, too, can leave today
with high hopes. I speak with some authority here -- (laughter) --
I've seen how things can work out pretty well for a C student.
(Laughter and applause.)

All of you have learned a lot here at LSU, and you learned to take
your sports seriously. (Applause.) I know you're especially proud of
your mighty national champs, the finest athletes to wear the LSU jersey
-- the Lady Tigers of the women's track team. (Applause.) Plus you've
got a pretty good football team, too. (Applause.) I know firsthand,
when Coach Saban told me right there at the White House how good this
team was. And I want to congratulate all the athletes here at LSU.
(Applause.)

After four years of sitting through lectures, I've a feeling you're
not in the mood for another one. You've probably had your fill of
political speeches from Free Speech Alley. (Laughter.) So today, on
your last day at LSU, I thought I would share a few important lessons
that I've picked up along the way.

Let me begin with a very valuable lesson I've learned -- a lesson
that has influenced my well-being -- and here it is: Listen to your
mother. (Laughter and applause.) I had little choice. My Mom has a
way of speaking her mind. When I paid attention, I benefitted. When I
didn't, I paid the price. That's how it still works. (Laughter.)

In the world's eyes, you are now an independent adult. In your
mother's eyes, you probably still have some growing up to do. You may
not always agree with her advice, but I think of it this way: The
first voice you heard is always worth listening to. (Applause.)

There are many moms and dads here today, and I know how some of you
are feeling. It feels really good to write the last tuition check.
(Laughter.) It also feels like the last 20 years or so went by awfully
fast. I know you're proud of your sons and daughters, and I know they
are grateful. Today we honor the parents of the class of 2004.
(Applause.)

Here is another bit of advice I hope you graduates will consider,
as you weigh the values and priorities of your life. Sometimes you'll
hear people say that moral truth is relative, or call religious faith a
comforting illusion. And when you hear talk like that, take it
seriously enough to be skeptical. It may seem generous and open-minded
to say that everybody, on every moral issue, is equally right. But
that attitude can also be an excuse for sidestepping life's most
important questions. Most people over the ages have viewed the search
for moral truth as one of the main purposes of life. And they were
correct. Good societies are constructed on the conviction that there
is right, and there is wrong, and we can know the difference.

Our country depends on businesspeople who are honest in keeping the
books, and public officials who stay true to their oath, and soldiers
who put their duty above comfort, and men and women in every walk of
life who conduct themselves with integrity, even when no one is
watching. (Applause.)

Good lives are also constructed on moral conviction. You will find
that indifferent and cynical men and women accomplish little that makes
them proud. You will find that fighting injustice and evil requires a
vision of goodness and truth. You will find the only way to live an
honorable life is to believe in honor. For your sake and for the sake
of our country, I hope you will always strive to be men and women of
conviction and character. (Applause.)

As you enter professional life, I have a few other suggestions
about how to succeed on the job. For starters, be on time. It's
polite, and it shows your respect for others. Of course, it's easy for
me to say. It's easy for me to be punctual when armed men stop all the
traffic in town for you. (Laughter.)

On the job and elsewhere in life, choose your friends carefully.
The company you keep has a way of rubbing off on you -- and that can be
a good thing, or a bad thing. In my job, I got to pick just about
everybody I work with. (Laughter.) I've been happy with my choices --
although I wish someone had warned me about all of Dick Cheney's wild
partying. (Laughter.)

Let me leave you with one more lesson. Wherever life takes us, and
whatever challenges we meet, each one of us has much to be grateful
for. And the proper measure of response of a grateful heart is
service. There's no such thing as a self-made man or woman. Everyone
has had a little help along the way. It is a sign of maturity to
remember our debts, and a sign of grace to pass the favor along in
generosity to others. There's a wise saying: We make a living by what
we get; we make a life by what we give.

Louisiana State University has a tradition of gratitude expressed
in service to community and country. Four monuments on your campus
honor those from LSU who served and died in the Armed Forces.
Recently, a new name was added to the War Memorial: Navy Lieutenant
Scott Lamana was killed in the attack on the Pentagon on September the
11th, 2001. He died at his post. His nation honors his memory.

In the war on terror we have counted on others from LSU. With us
today to receive their degrees are three young men who saw active duty
in Operation Iraqi Freedom. We thank Sergeant Cavalier, Corporal
Esposito, Sergeant Jarreau for their service in the United States
Marine Corps. (Applause.)

One of the finest ways to show gratitude for freedom is to defend
freedom. And those who wear the uniform of our country have repaid
America many times over with their selflessness and courage. That
courage is needed. We live in historic times, when the will and
character of America are being tested. We're at war with enemies that
have many destructive ambitions, and one overriding goal: They want to
spread their ideology of hatred by forcing America to retreat from the
world, in weakness and fear. Yet, they're finding that Americans are
not the running kind. When this country makes a commitment, we see it
through. (Applause.)

We have an historic opportunity, the establishment of a peaceful
and democratic Iraq at the heart of the Middle East, which will remove
a danger, strike a blow against terrorism, and make America and the
world more secure. We will complete the mission for which so many have
served and sacrificed. And the world can be certain we will defend the
freedom and security of this nation, whatever it takes. (Applause.)
And the world can be certain we will never abandon our belief that
freedom is the gift from the Almighty to every man and woman in this
world. (Applause.)

More than 60 years ago, when America was attacked at Pearl Harbor,
a senior at this university joined the Marine Corps. He was three
credits short, so he didn't graduate in 1942. Instead, he found
himself taking part in fierce battles at Iwo Jima and Guam, and
elsewhere in the Pacific theater. Corporal Lamar Simmons returned home
to Louisiana, and built a successful career running radio stations.
Not so long ago, his stepson learned that LSU gives academic credit for
military service, and applied for those credits on behalf of Mr.
Simmons. And so a man who began his studies here in 1938 graduates
with you today: Lamar Simmons, class of 2004. (Applause.)

Mr. Simmons, with my honorary degree, I guess that makes me the
second-oldest member of your graduating class. (Laughter.) I speak
for all of my classmates in paying tribute to this one man, and to the
great generation of Americans to which he belongs. (Applause.) These
Americans saw faraway conflict change their lives, and took on duties
they had not asked for, and did what had to be done. They kept this
country free; we are still in their debt.

As President, I've had the privilege of seeing another generation
rise to its responsibilities, and show its character. I've seen the
goodness and idealism of young Americans. I've seen confidence -- I've
seen your confidence in yourselves, and I have confidence in you, in
your generation, and in the great contributions you will make to our
country.

I wish you all the best. I thank you for letting me share this
day. I'm proud to be a member of your class. Congratulations, and may
God bless you. (Applause.)